River Witham
Encyclopedia
The River Witham is a river
, almost entirely in the county of Lincolnshire
, in the east of England. It rises south of Grantham
close to South Witham
, at SK8818, passes Lincoln
at SK9771 and at Boston
, TF3244, flows into The Haven
, a tidal arm of The Wash
, near RSPB Frampton Marsh
. The river is navigable from Lincoln to Boston.
The name "Witham" seems to be extremely old, apparently predating Anglo-Saxon, Roman, and even Celtic influence. The meaning is not known.
, joining London to York, and Fosse Way
, leading to Leicester and Bath was an important Roman fort which became one of only four colonia
in Britain. Most important Roman cities were situated near navigable water, which enabled goods to be transported in bulk, but Lincoln did not possess this advantage, and so the Romans constructed the Fossdyke from Lincoln to Torksey on the River Trent
, improved the River Witham from Lincoln to The Wash
, and built the Car Dyke
from Lincoln to the River Cam
near Cambridge
. The Witham thus gave Lincoln access to the east coast, while the Fossdyke gave access to the Trent and further on to the Humber
.
Throughout the medieval period, trade continued, as evidenced by the importance of Torksey, which was a flourishing town, though now only a small village. However, the Fossdyke needed a lot of maintenance to keep it clear of silt. Henry I had overseen the scouring of the channel, and there were inquiries in 1335, 1365 and 1518, to consider the state of the Fossdyke and to compel the inhabitants of the region to maintain it. Lincoln was a centre for the collection of business taxes, but this came at the cost of maintaining the waterways, and having finally decided it was too large a cost, James I
presented the Fossdyke to the City of Lincoln.
The Witham originally flowed into The Wash at Bicker Haven, where the port of Drayton was established in the Welland
estuary, and it was only as a result of massive flooding in 1014 that it diverted to flow into The Haven
at Boston
. This gave rise to the growth of Boston as a port in the 12th and 13th centuries, exporting wool and salt to the Hanseatic League
, though it only received its charter in 1545.
The river was affected by silting which restricted trade despite the construction of various sluices and barriers from 1142 onwards, when the first sluice was built below Boston. Other sluices were erected at Boston in 1500, and at Langrick
in 1543, but navigation was again difficult on both the river and the Fossdyke by 1660. In 1671 an Act of Parliament
was obtained for the improvement of the Navigation. In 1743, John Grundy, Sr.
and his son John Grundy, Jr.
were commissioned to produce a detailed survey of the river. They produced an engraved map in 1743, and a printed report, running to 48 pages, in the following year. The main recommendation was a 7 miles (11.3 km) new cut, to eliminate the "prodigious meandering course" of the channel above Boston. Although the estimated cost of £16,200 dissuaded the landowners from taking action at the time, the report formed the basis for improvements in the 1760s.
Following meetings of Landowners held in 1752 and 1753, they asked John Grundy Jr, as his father had died in 1748, to re-evaluate his plans from 1744, and also to consider a plan for a "Grand Sluice" which had been produced by Daniel Coppin in 1745. He suggested that the 1744 cut should be extended by a further 2 miles (3.2 km) into Boston, and that the sluice could then be built on the extension. The landowners moved the location of the sluice nearer to Boston, but otherwise approved his report, although no action was taken. Grundy was again consulted in 1757, and Langley Edwards of Kings Lynn was asked to review the positioning of the sluice in 1760. The landowners then asked John Smeaton
to liaise with Grundy and Edwards, and the three engineers produced a joint report in 1761, with estimates of £38,000 for drainage works and £7,400 for improvements to navigation. The report was approved, although a meeting held in January 1762 decided that the new cut should revert to the alignment suggested by Grundy in 1753. The location of the Grand Sluice would be as suggested by Edwards in 1760. Grundy produced another engraved map, and parliamentary approval for the works were obtained in June 1762.
Once the Act of Parliament was obtained, Edwards became the engineer for the project, and drew up the detailed plans, which Grundy and Smeaton checked and altered slightly, after which they had no further involvement with the scheme. Construction was started in April 1763, and the drainage element of the project, which included the sluice, was finished in 1768, having cost £42,000. Work on three locks and other work connected with navigation cost £6,000 and continued until 1771. The Grand Sluice was a major construction which maintained the height of water above Boston to near normal high tide level and had massive flood gates to cope with any tides above this. It was completed in 1766, and was effective in scouring the Haven below it, but actually encouraged further silting of the river above it.
The 1762 act created the Witham Drainage General Commissioners who continued to promote drainage schemes actively creating a drainage network known as the Witham Navigable Drains
transforming much of northern Lincolnshire from fen to farming land. Today many of these channels are managed by the Witham First, Third and Fourth District Internal Drainage Boards and Upper Witham Internal Drainage Board. These four internal drainage board
s reduce the flood risk to the surrounding properties, land and environment.
In 1791, as part of the campaign to promote the construction of the Horncastle Canal
, the Commissioners of the River Witham asked the engineer William Jessop
to assess the state of the Fossdyke Navigation and the Witham, with particular reference to the problems of navigating through Lincoln, where the channel was restricted by a medieval bridge. He proposed two solutions; the first avoided the route through the city entirely, by utilising the course of the Sincil Dyke to the south, while the second involved lowering the bottom of the channel through the Glory Hole bridge, which was only 18 inches (45.7 cm) deep at normal water levels. The Commissioners had imposed a toll on all traffic passing under the bridge, but decided that a channel bypassing the city would have grave financial consequences. They opted for improving the existing channel, and the work to remove the existing wooded floor, to lower the river bed under the bridge and to underpin its foundations was completed in 1795. The Commissioners dropped the collection of tolls at the bridge, but the amount they received from traffic passing through the locks increased as the volume of traffic grew in response to the easier passage through the bridge.
from below the Grand Sluice so that vessels will be able to reach the Fens without venturing out to the Wash as part of the Fens Waterways Link
.
The Witham is navigable from Brayford Wharf in Lincoln to Boston. There are two locks between Boston and Lincoln - one at Bardney and the other in Lincoln itself, the Stamp End Lock which is unusually a guillotine lock. The main obstruction to navigation is the High Bridge or Glory Hole in Lincoln, a medieval structure which is only about 15 feet (4.6 m) wide and 2.6 metres (8.5 ft) high at normal river levels. In times of flood it is unnavigable. The bridge spans the river for 87 feet (26.5 m), and consists of an arch built in c1160, with extensions added in 1235, 1540 to 1550 and 1762/3. It is the only British bridge which still has secular medieval buildings standing on it, and is believed to be the second oldest masonry arch bridge in the country. It is currently a Scheduled Ancient Monument
and a Grade I Listed Building.
on which navigation will eventually be restored to Sleaford. At Antons Gowt, a lock drops down into the Witham Navigable Drains
, a system of drainage ditches which are used to prevent flooding of the fens to the north of Boston. Since November 2008 there has been an active campaign by the Billinghay Skirth Regeneration Society to restore navigation on the River Skirth, and the project has won the support of Billinghay
and other parish councils, the Inland Waterways Association
, the Environment Agency
, Lincolnshire County Council and the Lincolnshire Waterways Partnership.
, a distance of about three miles, the river forms the boundary between Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire
. From North Witham
to Long Bennington
, the river largely follows the line of the A1, which crosses the river just north of the B6403 junction near Easton
. From Dogdyke
near Coningsby
to Boston, the north bank of the river was used by a former railway - a section of the Great Northern Railway
from Lincoln to Boston.
In Lincoln, the river flows into Brayford Pool
, and exits along a narrow channel that passes under the mediaeval High Bridge
. The bridge not only restricts navigation due to its small size, but the volume of water that can pass through the gap is limited in times of flood. This is alleviated by the Syncil Dyke, which leaves the main channel at Bargate Weir, and runs for 1.5 miles (2.4 km) through the industrial areas to the south of the main city centre. It used to rejoin the main channel at Stamp End, but was re-routed into the South Delph, a drainage ditch constructed by John Rennie in the early 19th century, which joins the main channel below Bardney lock. The origins of the Sincil Dyke are unknown, but it is known to have been used as a drainage channel in the mid 13th century, and is thought to be pre-medieval or even Roman. Parts of it were culverted in 1847, in order to allow the construction of Lincoln Central railway station
.
A long-distance footpath, the Water Rail Way, follows the course of the river from Lincoln to Boston. The path uses sections of the river towpath and abandoned railway tracks, and has been opened in stages, with the final 2 miles (3.2 km) being completed in September 2008. The path is now part of Route 1 of the National Cycle Network
, and features a number of sculptures along its length, each commissioned from local artists. They include Lincoln longwool sheep at Stixwould, Lincoln red cows at Washingborough, and Lincoln curly pigs, which became extinct in 1972, at Southrey.
The following flow into The Haven.
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
, almost entirely in the county of Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, in the east of England. It rises south of Grantham
Grantham
Grantham is a market town within the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It bestrides the East Coast Main Line railway , the historic A1 main north-south road, and the River Witham. Grantham is located approximately south of the city of Lincoln, and approximately east of Nottingham...
close to South Witham
South Witham
South Witham is a village in South Kesteven, Lincolnshire, situated close to the Leicestershire and Rutland borders.-Geography:It is bisected by the young River Witham, about three miles to the east of its source. It is the point on the A1 where it enters Lincolnshire from the south, near ...
, at SK8818, passes Lincoln
Lincoln, Lincolnshire
Lincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.The non-metropolitan district of Lincoln has a population of 85,595; the 2001 census gave the entire area of Lincoln a population of 120,779....
at SK9771 and at Boston
Boston, Lincolnshire
Boston is a town and small port in Lincolnshire, on the east coast of England. It is the largest town of the wider Borough of Boston local government district and had a total population of 55,750 at the 2001 census...
, TF3244, flows into The Haven
The Haven, Boston
The Haven is the tidal river of the Port of Boston, Lincolnshire in England. It provides access for shipping between Boston Deeps in The Wash and the town, particularly, the dock. It also serves as the outfall into the sea, of the River Witham and of several major land drains of the northern Fens...
, a tidal arm of The Wash
The Wash
The Wash is the square-mouthed bay and estuary on the northwest margin of East Anglia on the east coast of England, where Norfolk meets Lincolnshire. It is among the largest estuaries in the United Kingdom...
, near RSPB Frampton Marsh
RSPB Frampton Marsh
Frampton Marsh is a nature reserve in Lincolnshire, England. The reserve is situated on the coast of The Wash, some 4 miles from the town of Boston, between the outfalls of the Rivers Welland and Witham , and near the village of Frampton...
. The river is navigable from Lincoln to Boston.
The name "Witham" seems to be extremely old, apparently predating Anglo-Saxon, Roman, and even Celtic influence. The meaning is not known.
History of navigation
The Witham, which was tidal up to Lincoln, has been an important navigation since Roman times. Lincoln (Lindum), the meeting point of Ermine StreetErmine Street
Ermine Street is the name of a major Roman road in England that ran from London to Lincoln and York . The Old English name was 'Earninga Straete' , named after a tribe called the Earningas, who inhabited a district later known as Armingford Hundred, around Arrington, Cambridgeshire and Royston,...
, joining London to York, and Fosse Way
Fosse Way
The Fosse Way was a Roman road in England that linked Exeter in South West England to Lincoln in Lincolnshire, via Ilchester , Bath , Cirencester and Leicester .It joined Akeman Street and Ermin Way at Cirencester, crossed Watling Street at Venonis south...
, leading to Leicester and Bath was an important Roman fort which became one of only four colonia
Colonia (Roman)
A Roman colonia was originally a Roman outpost established in conquered territory to secure it. Eventually, however, the term came to denote the highest status of Roman city.-History:...
in Britain. Most important Roman cities were situated near navigable water, which enabled goods to be transported in bulk, but Lincoln did not possess this advantage, and so the Romans constructed the Fossdyke from Lincoln to Torksey on the River Trent
River Trent
The River Trent is one of the major rivers of England. Its source is in Staffordshire on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through the Midlands until it joins the River Ouse at Trent Falls to form the Humber Estuary, which empties into the North Sea below Hull and Immingham.The Trent...
, improved the River Witham from Lincoln to The Wash
The Wash
The Wash is the square-mouthed bay and estuary on the northwest margin of East Anglia on the east coast of England, where Norfolk meets Lincolnshire. It is among the largest estuaries in the United Kingdom...
, and built the Car Dyke
Car Dyke
The Car Dyke was, and to large extent still is, an eighty-five mile long ditch which runs along the western edge of the Fens in eastern England. It is generally accepted as being of Roman age and, for many centuries, to have been taken as marking the western edge of the Fens...
from Lincoln to the River Cam
River Cam
The River Cam is a tributary of the River Great Ouse in the east of England. The two rivers join to the south of Ely at Pope's Corner. The Great Ouse connects the Cam to England's canal system and to the North Sea at King's Lynn...
near Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
. The Witham thus gave Lincoln access to the east coast, while the Fossdyke gave access to the Trent and further on to the Humber
Humber
The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal River Ouse and the tidal River Trent. From here to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary between the East Riding of Yorkshire on the north bank...
.
Throughout the medieval period, trade continued, as evidenced by the importance of Torksey, which was a flourishing town, though now only a small village. However, the Fossdyke needed a lot of maintenance to keep it clear of silt. Henry I had overseen the scouring of the channel, and there were inquiries in 1335, 1365 and 1518, to consider the state of the Fossdyke and to compel the inhabitants of the region to maintain it. Lincoln was a centre for the collection of business taxes, but this came at the cost of maintaining the waterways, and having finally decided it was too large a cost, James I
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
presented the Fossdyke to the City of Lincoln.
The Witham originally flowed into The Wash at Bicker Haven, where the port of Drayton was established in the Welland
River Welland
The River Welland is a river in the east of England, some long. It rises in the Hothorpe Hills, at Sibbertoft in Northamptonshire, then flows generally northeast to Market Harborough, Stamford and Spalding, to reach The Wash near Fosdyke. For much of its length it forms the county boundary between...
estuary, and it was only as a result of massive flooding in 1014 that it diverted to flow into The Haven
The Haven, Boston
The Haven is the tidal river of the Port of Boston, Lincolnshire in England. It provides access for shipping between Boston Deeps in The Wash and the town, particularly, the dock. It also serves as the outfall into the sea, of the River Witham and of several major land drains of the northern Fens...
at Boston
Boston, Lincolnshire
Boston is a town and small port in Lincolnshire, on the east coast of England. It is the largest town of the wider Borough of Boston local government district and had a total population of 55,750 at the 2001 census...
. This gave rise to the growth of Boston as a port in the 12th and 13th centuries, exporting wool and salt to the Hanseatic League
Hanseatic League
The Hanseatic League was an economic alliance of trading cities and their merchant guilds that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe...
, though it only received its charter in 1545.
The river was affected by silting which restricted trade despite the construction of various sluices and barriers from 1142 onwards, when the first sluice was built below Boston. Other sluices were erected at Boston in 1500, and at Langrick
Langrick
-External links:*...
in 1543, but navigation was again difficult on both the river and the Fossdyke by 1660. In 1671 an Act of Parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
was obtained for the improvement of the Navigation. In 1743, John Grundy, Sr.
John Grundy, Sr.
John Grundy, Sr. was a teacher of mathematics, a land surveyor, and later a civil engineer, who lived in Congerstone, in Leicestershire, England for the first forty years of his life, and then moved to Spalding in Lincolnshire. He was one of the first engineers to apply mathematical principles to...
and his son John Grundy, Jr.
John Grundy, Jr.
John Grundy, Jr. was an English civil engineer, who worked on a number of drainage schemes, canal projects and dock works. He lived in Spalding, Lincolnshire from 1739...
were commissioned to produce a detailed survey of the river. They produced an engraved map in 1743, and a printed report, running to 48 pages, in the following year. The main recommendation was a 7 miles (11.3 km) new cut, to eliminate the "prodigious meandering course" of the channel above Boston. Although the estimated cost of £16,200 dissuaded the landowners from taking action at the time, the report formed the basis for improvements in the 1760s.
Following meetings of Landowners held in 1752 and 1753, they asked John Grundy Jr, as his father had died in 1748, to re-evaluate his plans from 1744, and also to consider a plan for a "Grand Sluice" which had been produced by Daniel Coppin in 1745. He suggested that the 1744 cut should be extended by a further 2 miles (3.2 km) into Boston, and that the sluice could then be built on the extension. The landowners moved the location of the sluice nearer to Boston, but otherwise approved his report, although no action was taken. Grundy was again consulted in 1757, and Langley Edwards of Kings Lynn was asked to review the positioning of the sluice in 1760. The landowners then asked John Smeaton
John Smeaton
John Smeaton, FRS, was an English civil engineer responsible for the design of bridges, canals, harbours and lighthouses. He was also a capable mechanical engineer and an eminent physicist...
to liaise with Grundy and Edwards, and the three engineers produced a joint report in 1761, with estimates of £38,000 for drainage works and £7,400 for improvements to navigation. The report was approved, although a meeting held in January 1762 decided that the new cut should revert to the alignment suggested by Grundy in 1753. The location of the Grand Sluice would be as suggested by Edwards in 1760. Grundy produced another engraved map, and parliamentary approval for the works were obtained in June 1762.
Once the Act of Parliament was obtained, Edwards became the engineer for the project, and drew up the detailed plans, which Grundy and Smeaton checked and altered slightly, after which they had no further involvement with the scheme. Construction was started in April 1763, and the drainage element of the project, which included the sluice, was finished in 1768, having cost £42,000. Work on three locks and other work connected with navigation cost £6,000 and continued until 1771. The Grand Sluice was a major construction which maintained the height of water above Boston to near normal high tide level and had massive flood gates to cope with any tides above this. It was completed in 1766, and was effective in scouring the Haven below it, but actually encouraged further silting of the river above it.
The 1762 act created the Witham Drainage General Commissioners who continued to promote drainage schemes actively creating a drainage network known as the Witham Navigable Drains
Witham Navigable Drains
The Witham Navigable Drains are located in Lincolnshire, England, and are part of a much larger drainage system managed by the Witham Fourth District Internal Drainage Board. In total there are over of drainage ditches, of which under are navigable...
transforming much of northern Lincolnshire from fen to farming land. Today many of these channels are managed by the Witham First, Third and Fourth District Internal Drainage Boards and Upper Witham Internal Drainage Board. These four internal drainage board
Internal Drainage Board
An internal drainage board is a type of operating authority which is established in areas of special drainage need in England and Wales with permissive powers to undertake work to secure clean water drainage and water level management within drainage districts...
s reduce the flood risk to the surrounding properties, land and environment.
In 1791, as part of the campaign to promote the construction of the Horncastle Canal
Horncastle Canal
The Horncastle Canal was a broad canal which ran 11 miles from the River Witham to Horncastle in Lincolnshire, England, through twelve locks largely following the course of River Bain...
, the Commissioners of the River Witham asked the engineer William Jessop
William Jessop
William Jessop was an English civil engineer, best known for his work on canals, harbours and early railways in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.-Early life:...
to assess the state of the Fossdyke Navigation and the Witham, with particular reference to the problems of navigating through Lincoln, where the channel was restricted by a medieval bridge. He proposed two solutions; the first avoided the route through the city entirely, by utilising the course of the Sincil Dyke to the south, while the second involved lowering the bottom of the channel through the Glory Hole bridge, which was only 18 inches (45.7 cm) deep at normal water levels. The Commissioners had imposed a toll on all traffic passing under the bridge, but decided that a channel bypassing the city would have grave financial consequences. They opted for improving the existing channel, and the work to remove the existing wooded floor, to lower the river bed under the bridge and to underpin its foundations was completed in 1795. The Commissioners dropped the collection of tolls at the bridge, but the amount they received from traffic passing through the locks increased as the volume of traffic grew in response to the easier passage through the bridge.
The Grand Sluice
When completed in 1766, Edwards' Grand Sluice consisted of three channels each 17 feet (5.2 m) wide, fitted with pointed gates on both sides, and a lock adjacent to the north bank, which could be used as an additional flood relief channel if required. The lock was originally very small, but was lengthened to its current 41 by in 1881. The pointed doors on the non-tidal side of the sluice were replaced by steel guillotine gates between 1979 and 1982.Current Navigation
Today, commercial traffic, apart from tour boats, has ceased above the port of Boston (The Haven) and only pleasure craft carry on through the lock at the Grand Sluice into the Witham. Although the lock is only 41 feet (12.5 m) long, it is possible for longer boats to pass through it at certain states of the tide. Unlike many such sea locks, the reverse-facing gates close on every tide, as the normal high tide water level is higher than the level of the river, while at low tides there is insufficient water in the Haven to allow exit from the lock. Passage is therefore restricted to a brief period approximately two hours before or after high water. It is still possible to navigate many of the drains in small vessels and a new lock, construction of which was completed in December 2008, provides entry to the South Forty-Foot DrainSouth Forty-foot drain
The South Forty-Foot Drain is the main channel for the land-drainage of the Black Sluice Level in the Lincolnshire Fens. It lies in eastern England between Guthram Gowt and the Black Sluice pumping station on The Haven, at Boston...
from below the Grand Sluice so that vessels will be able to reach the Fens without venturing out to the Wash as part of the Fens Waterways Link
Fens Waterways Link
The Fens Waterways Link is a project to improve recreational boating opportunities in the counties of Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire, England. By a combination of improvements to existing waterways and the construction of new links a circular route between Lincoln, Peterborough, Ely and Boston is...
.
The Witham is navigable from Brayford Wharf in Lincoln to Boston. There are two locks between Boston and Lincoln - one at Bardney and the other in Lincoln itself, the Stamp End Lock which is unusually a guillotine lock. The main obstruction to navigation is the High Bridge or Glory Hole in Lincoln, a medieval structure which is only about 15 feet (4.6 m) wide and 2.6 metres (8.5 ft) high at normal river levels. In times of flood it is unnavigable. The bridge spans the river for 87 feet (26.5 m), and consists of an arch built in c1160, with extensions added in 1235, 1540 to 1550 and 1762/3. It is the only British bridge which still has secular medieval buildings standing on it, and is believed to be the second oldest masonry arch bridge in the country. It is currently a Scheduled Ancient Monument
Scheduled Ancient Monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a 'nationally important' archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorized change. The various pieces of legislation used for legally protecting heritage assets from damage and destruction are grouped under the term...
and a Grade I Listed Building.
Connecting waterways
There are a number of drains which connect to the River Witham, and which are protected by flood doors. These consist of a single pair of mitre gates, which are designed to close if the level in the river rises above the level in the drain. Several of these are navigable to the more adventurous boater. The river is also joined by the Kyme Eau, which connects to the Sleaford NavigationSleaford Navigation
The Sleaford Navigation was a canalisation of the River Slea in Lincolnshire, England, which opened in 1794. It ran from a junction with the River Witham, near Chapel Hill to the town of Sleaford through seven locks, most of which were adjacent to mills. Lack of finance meant that it stopped short...
on which navigation will eventually be restored to Sleaford. At Antons Gowt, a lock drops down into the Witham Navigable Drains
Witham Navigable Drains
The Witham Navigable Drains are located in Lincolnshire, England, and are part of a much larger drainage system managed by the Witham Fourth District Internal Drainage Board. In total there are over of drainage ditches, of which under are navigable...
, a system of drainage ditches which are used to prevent flooding of the fens to the north of Boston. Since November 2008 there has been an active campaign by the Billinghay Skirth Regeneration Society to restore navigation on the River Skirth, and the project has won the support of Billinghay
Billinghay
Billinghay is a village and civil parish in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, about ten miles north-east of Sleaford. The village lies along the B1189 road near the junction with the A153. Just south of the village towards Sleaford is North Kyme...
and other parish councils, the Inland Waterways Association
Inland Waterways Association
The Inland Waterways Association was formed in 1946 as a registered charity in the United Kingdom to campaign for the conservation, use, maintenance, restoration and sensitive development of British Canals and river navigations....
, the Environment Agency
Environment Agency
The Environment Agency is a British non-departmental public body of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and an Assembly Government Sponsored Body of the Welsh Assembly Government that serves England and Wales.-Purpose:...
, Lincolnshire County Council and the Lincolnshire Waterways Partnership.
Route
From near Claypole to BeckinghamBeckingham, Lincolnshire
Beckingham is a village and civil parish in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It lies 6 miles east of Newark-on-Trent on the A17 road, and on the east bank of the River Witham....
, a distance of about three miles, the river forms the boundary between Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
. From North Witham
North Witham
North Witham is a small village and civil parish in South Kesteven, Lincolnshire, England. The village is located along the upper course of the River Witham, 11.4 miles south of the nearest major town, Grantham. It has an estimated population of 158 in around 70 households...
to Long Bennington
Long Bennington
Long Bennington is a village in South Kesteven, south Lincolnshire, England. It is equidistant from Newark-on-Trent and Grantham, and from the villages of Stubton and Orston. It has a population of 1,847.-Geography:...
, the river largely follows the line of the A1, which crosses the river just north of the B6403 junction near Easton
Easton, Lincolnshire
Easton is a village and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It lies just off the A1, north of Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth and Colsterworth.-Geography:...
. From Dogdyke
Dogdyke railway station
Dogdyke railway station was a station on the former Great Northern Railway between Boston and Lincoln.The station, and essentially the hamlet of Dogdyke itself, served a transhipment point at the confluence of the rivers Bain and Witham. Principal traffic was agricultural, but also included coals...
near Coningsby
Coningsby
Coningsby is a village in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England.-Geography:Taking its name from the Old Norse 'konungr' meaning 'King' with an Old Norse suffix 'by' meaning 'the settlement of' which gives Coningsby the meaning 'The Settlement of the King'...
to Boston, the north bank of the river was used by a former railway - a section of the Great Northern Railway
Great Northern Railway (Great Britain)
The Great Northern Railway was a British railway company established by the Great Northern Railway Act of 1846. On 1 January 1923 the company lost its identity as a constituent of the newly formed London and North Eastern Railway....
from Lincoln to Boston.
In Lincoln, the river flows into Brayford Pool
Brayford Pool
The Brayford Pool is a natural lake formed from a widening of the River Witham in the centre of the city of Lincoln in England. It was used as a port by the Romans - who connected it to the River Trent by constructing the Foss Dyke - and has a long industrial heritage.-History:The Pool has been the...
, and exits along a narrow channel that passes under the mediaeval High Bridge
High Bridge, Lincoln
The High Bridge in Lincoln, England is the oldest bridge in the United Kingdom which still has buildings on it. It was built about 1160 A.D. and a chapel built in 1235 dedicated to Thomas Becket was removed in 1762 with the current row of shops dating from 1550...
. The bridge not only restricts navigation due to its small size, but the volume of water that can pass through the gap is limited in times of flood. This is alleviated by the Syncil Dyke, which leaves the main channel at Bargate Weir, and runs for 1.5 miles (2.4 km) through the industrial areas to the south of the main city centre. It used to rejoin the main channel at Stamp End, but was re-routed into the South Delph, a drainage ditch constructed by John Rennie in the early 19th century, which joins the main channel below Bardney lock. The origins of the Sincil Dyke are unknown, but it is known to have been used as a drainage channel in the mid 13th century, and is thought to be pre-medieval or even Roman. Parts of it were culverted in 1847, in order to allow the construction of Lincoln Central railway station
Lincoln Central railway station
Lincoln Central railway station serves the city of Lincoln in Lincolnshire, England. The station is operated by East Midlands Trains, who provide services along with Northern Rail and East Coast....
.
A long-distance footpath, the Water Rail Way, follows the course of the river from Lincoln to Boston. The path uses sections of the river towpath and abandoned railway tracks, and has been opened in stages, with the final 2 miles (3.2 km) being completed in September 2008. The path is now part of Route 1 of the National Cycle Network
National Cycle Network
The National Cycle Network is a network of cycle routes in the United Kingdom.The National Cycle Network was created by the charity Sustrans , and aided by a £42.5 million National Lottery grant. In 2005 it was used for over 230 million trips.Many routes hope to minimise contact with motor...
, and features a number of sculptures along its length, each commissioned from local artists. They include Lincoln longwool sheep at Stixwould, Lincoln red cows at Washingborough, and Lincoln curly pigs, which became extinct in 1972, at Southrey.
Points of interest
Tributaries of the River Witham
- Foston Beck
- River Brant
- Fossdyke Navigation, a canalization of the lower River Till.
- Barlings EauBarlings EauBarlings Eau is a small river near Barlings, Lincolnshire, England. It is a tributary of the River Witham, joining it near Short Ferry.-Route:...
- River BainRiver BainThe River Bain is a river in Lincolnshire, England, and a tributary of the River Witham.The Bain rises in the Lincolnshire Wolds at Ludford, a village on The Viking Way long-distance footpath, and flows through or past the villages of Burgh on Bain, Biscathorpe, Donington on Bain, Goulceby with...
- Kyme EauSleaford NavigationThe Sleaford Navigation was a canalisation of the River Slea in Lincolnshire, England, which opened in 1794. It ran from a junction with the River Witham, near Chapel Hill to the town of Sleaford through seven locks, most of which were adjacent to mills. Lack of finance meant that it stopped short...
, the fenland part of the River SleaRiver SleaThe River Slea is an 18-mile long tributary of the River Witham, in Lincolnshire, England. In 1872 the river was described as "a never-ending source of pure water", and was a trout river renowned throughout the East coast of England...
The following flow into The Haven.
- South Forty-Foot DrainSouth Forty-foot drainThe South Forty-Foot Drain is the main channel for the land-drainage of the Black Sluice Level in the Lincolnshire Fens. It lies in eastern England between Guthram Gowt and the Black Sluice pumping station on The Haven, at Boston...
- Maud Foster Drain
- Hobhole Drain
See also
- Kirkstead Bridge
- Rivers of the United Kingdom
- Photographs of the River Witham